Charity Den Day at Brook Sixth Form

The Charity Den held a whole-day workshop at Brook Sixth Form, Dagenham in November 2025. A level and media students from year 12 were led through the Charity Den process by Kick COO Jasbir and six mentors from various industries. Students formed small groups to develop an initial charity project proposal. The students’ ideas were firmly rooted in their local community, and included ideas to help single parents, the homeless, and children living in poverty in their borough. The culmination of the day was a short pitch to the peer group, with an opportunity to receive their questions and feedback. We look forward to hearing the finalised pitches before the end of term.

The Charity Den initiative is designed to empower and equip young people with the skills to develop and pitch their own charity projects for real-world funding. The initiative is aided by mentors from the business world, who guide and coach the young people on their journey. The young people give back to our mentors in different ways - here are some comments from mentors following the Brook Academy workshop:

”It was extremely rewarding. Seeing the students step outside their comfort zones while developing skills that will serve them well in their future careers was inspiring. Their enthusiasm and creativity made the day truly enjoyable.”

“I learned how powerful collaboration and creativity can be when young people are given the space and support to think freely. It reinforced the importance of listening and encouraging diverse viewpoints, as these often lead to the most impactful solutions.”

“It was wonderful to see that young people cared deeply about issues in their community, and were willing to devote time and energy to devise practical ways of helping disadvantaged local groups.”